Game apparatus



i No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. R. AUSTIN & W. N. GRAW.

GAME APPARATUS.

No. 560,251. Patented May 19, 1896.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. R. AUSTIN 82; W. N. ORAW. GAME APPARATUS.

No. 560,251. Patented May-19, 1896.

U W //%f WA 3) WITNESSES INVENZTOR$ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIS R. AUSTIN AND \VILLIAM N. CRAXV, OF SOUTH NORlVALK, CONNECTICUT.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,251, dated May 19, 1896.

Application filed June 5, 1895- erial No. 551,712. (No modclfi:

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,lVILLIs R. AUSTIN and \VILLIAM N. CRAw, citizens of the United States, residing at South N orwalk, in the county of Fail-field and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful linprovements in Game Apparatus; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object to produce a game which may be played by any number of players up to eight or ten, which is capable of being played either upon a lawn or in a house or gymnasium, which shall call for a high degree of skill on the part of the players, and which shall furnish to the players a gentle and healthy exercise.

With these ends in View we have devised the novel game of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyin g drawings, is a specification, numerals and letters being used to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view of so much of a field as is necessary to illustrate the manner in which our novel game is played Fig. 2, a side View corresponding with Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a section, on an enlarged scale, on the line so in Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are inverted plan views of the gong and guard, showing different arrangements of the guard to permit the gong to be struck in diflerent positions of the rotating table or delta. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail elevations illustrating a form of buffer especially adapted for out-of-door use; and Fig. 8 is a View, partly in section, of the mallet or punt which we preferably use.

The game may be played upon a field of any convenient size, a convenient size if played out of doors being a plot of thirty by thirty feet, which should be smooth and, if a lawn, closely clipped, as for playing croquet. The essential elements of the game are a rotating table or delta, (designated as a whole by A,) three pins or totems, (designated by 13,) three cushions or buffers, (designated by C,) as many balls as there are players, a single ball only being shown, and designated by D, and as many mallets or punts as there are balls and which are designated by E. The table or delta is adapted to turn freely on a standard 1, which is rigidly fixed, preferably, in a base 2. The base may be provided on its under side with corrugated rubber pads 3, as indicated in Fig. 2, if for indoor use, or it may, if preferred, be rigidly secured to the floor, and if intended for outdoor use is preferably provided with prongs 4, adapted to be driven into the ground, as shown in Fig. 3. The exact shape of the table is not essential, although we have shown it made to the shape of a delta or triangle, which form we preferably use, and as provided at its angles with outwardly-extending arms 5, which are shown as made of wire and rigidly secured to the table. Upon the upper surface of the table are three figures, (designated by 6,) which may be of any form, but which we preferably make in the form of diamonds, as shown in Fig. 1. These figures in practice are colored, respectively, red, white, and blue, each figure having extending upward from it a stop 7, which is ordinarilya simple wire arch, the ends of which are driven into the table in the figure. The stops themselves may be colored to correspond with the figures, if preferred; but ordinarily the stops are left bright, but are called by the colors of the figures in which they are placed. At the top of the standard is a gong S, which is adapted to be r'ung by a striker 9, which is pivoted on a yoke 10 upon the delta. The shape of this striker is of course not of the essence of our invention. It is ordinarily made of wire and is so shaped that the engaging end thereof, which we have indicated by 11, shall be in position to strike the gong when the other end thereof, which is provided with a head 12, is struck by one of the balls and the delta is in such a position as will permit engaging end 11 to strike the gong. In order to prevent the gong from being sounded when head 12 is struck by a ball, except in certain positions of the delta, we attach a guard 13 to the standard, under the gong, said guard being provided with openings 14:, through which engaging end 11 may pass to strike the gong.

15 denotes arms extending outward from the guard, from which pendants 16 are loosely suspended. The arms are colored red, white,

and blue to correspond with figures 6 on the delta. The pendants themselves maybe colored to correspond with the arms from which they depend, if preferred; but ordinarily the pendants are left bright, but are called by the colors of the arms from which they depend. The cushions and totems are also colored to correspond with these figures and arms. It is of course not essential that the game should be organized on the principle of three colors. By that we mean three cushions, three totems, and three colors upon the delta. Four or more colors may be used if preferred. W'e preferably, however, organize the game with three colors. It should be understood, however, that what we term the colors of the game have nothing to do with the colors of the mallets or punts and the balls and with the number of players in the game.

The special construction of the cushions or buffers is not of the essence of our invention. It is simply necessary that they be constructed of yielding material, so as to cause the balls to rebound when they strike the cushions. \Ve have shown cushions or buifers consisting of strips 17, which may be made of textile material or of rubber, and the ends of which are attached to springs 18, the action of which is to hold the strip distended and which are carried by a frame 19. This frame maybe simply a strip of wire bent to suitable shape. The frame may be attached to a base 20 and the latter may be provided either with prongs or rubber pads to hold it in place, or the ends of the frame itself may be provided with prongs 21, as in Figs. 6 and 7, adapted to be driven into the ground to hold the cushions or buffers in place when the game is played out of doors. As shown in Figs. 1., 2, and '7, the cushion or buffer is preferably placed at an angle, the upper edge thereof inclining forward and the lower edge backward, so that when the balls are punted against it they will rebound backward instead of rolling upward.

The game maybe played with ordinary eroquet-mallets, although we preferably use a mallet or punt of substantially the form illustrated in Fi gs. 1 and 8. This mallet consists of a handle 22 and a body 23 of oval form, which may be provided at one or both ends with a rounded head 24, or, if preferred, at one or both ends with a rounded elastic pad or cushion (ordinarily a block of rubber) 25, which is let into the body of the mallet. This pad forms a yielding cushion somewhat similar to a billiard-cue tip, so that in practice the same effects may be produced by our novel mallet in the hands of a skilled player that are produced in a game of billiards with the cue. It is of course well understood that in using ordinary fiatheaded mallets the players are limited to driving the balls straight ahead, it being impossible to either draw or to english the balls.

In setting the game the delta is placed at the center of the plot to be used, and at an equal distance from the ends of arms 5, in a straight line therefrom, we place the cushions or buffers. For example, in playing the game out of doors on a plot of ground thirty by thirty feet or more the delta is placed at the center.

and the cushions fifteen feet in a straight line therefrom in the form of an equilateral triangle, the cushions being approximately fifteen feet from each other. The totems are all set the length of one punt and one totem in a direct line from the center of the cushion or buffer of corresponding color toward the center of the delta. Each player takes a mallet or punt and a ball of the same color, the colors of the punts and balls having nothing to do with the colors of the figures 6 on the delta, the colors of arms 15, and the cushions and totems, which we have referred to as the colors of the game. The players may or may not play partners, as preferred.

The order of playing is not essential, although it may be agreeably determined in the following manner: Let each player sethis ball the length of two punts from a cushion or buffer and punt the ball against the buffer, the person whose ball lies nearest the buffer after the rebound playing first and the others following in the order of their positions relatively to the buffer. The play is as follows: No. 1 places his ball the length of one totem back of the red totemthat is, between the red totem and red cushion or buffer and at any angle either to the right or left. The first play is to punt the ball against the bu'lfcr and knock down the totem on the rebound. In case No. 1 fails No. 2 takes his turn. If No. 1 knocks down the totem 011 the rebound, the next play is to punt the ball from the position in which it steps against the delta, causing it to revolve, and when the red pendant rests against the stop on the red figure on the delta the play is made. If No. 1, having made the first play, fails to make the second, No. 2 takes his turn. If No. 1 makes the second play, he proceeds to make the third play, which is to knock down the white totem on the rebound by punting the ball from the position in which it stops against the white cushion. The next play is to punt the ball against the delta, causing it to revolve until the white totemis in engagement with the white stop. The next play is to knock down the blue totem on the rebound by punting the ball against the blue cushion. The next play is to revolve the delta and place the blue pendant on the blue stop, the final play being to ring the gong by punting the ball against the head of the striker and causing the engaging end of the striker to strike the gong. It will be obvious from Figs. 4 and 5 that in order to accomplish this the delta, which carries the striker, must be approximately in one of three positions relatively to the openings in the guard. In the form illustrated in Fig. 4: the openings in the guard lie between the arms, so that in order to strike the gong the delta must be turned until the striker lies between the arms, and a blow must be imparted to the head of the striker of sufficient force to cause the engaging end to strike the gong. In the form illustrated in Fig. 4 the openings in the guard are in line with arms 15, so that in order to strike the gong the delta must be turned until the striker is in line with one of the arms, and in this position head 12 must be struck by a ball with suflicient force to cause the engaging end to strike the gong. Skilled players frequently make this play by punting the ball against one of the arms 5, driving the delta forward, the ball upon the rebound striking head 12 and sounding the gong. The rules of the game may of course be varied in accordance with the skill of the players. Combination plays may be made on one or more balls either for position, to knock down a totem, to make a color, or to ring the gong.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. The herein -described game apparatus consisting of a rotating table carrying a striker, a fixed gong above the table adapted to be engaged by the striker, a guard under the gong having openings through which the striker may pass and means whereby the table may be rotated and the striker caused to ring the gong when the table is in such a position that the striker will register with one of the openings in the guard.

The herein-described game apparatus consisting of a rotating table having outwardly-extending arms 5, colored stops 7 and a striker 9, a fixed gong above the table adapted to be engaged by the striker, a guard under the gong having openings through which the striker may pass, arms 15 extending from the guard, and colored to correspond with the stops, pendants 16 depending therefrom and means whereby the table may be rotated to place either of the pendants in engagement with the corresponding stop and to cause the striker to sound the gong when the table is in such a position that the striker will register with one of the openings in the guard.

3. The herein-described game apparatus consisting of a rotating table carrying apivoted striker consisting of an engaging end 11 and a head 12, a fixed gong above the table adapted to be engaged by the striker, a guard under the gong having openings through which the striker may pass, a ball adapted to be driven against, the head to cause the engaging end to strike the gong when the table is in such a position that the engaging end will register with one of the openings in the guard.

4. The herein-described game apparatus consisting of a rotating table carrying a striker, afixed gong above the table adapted to be engaged by the striker, a guard under the gong having openings through which the striker may pass, a cushion O, a pin B and a ball adapted to be driven against the cushion to knock down the pin and to be driven against the table to rotate the latter and against the striker to cause it to sound the gong.

5. The herein-described game apparatus consisting of a rotating table having outwardly-extending arms 5 and colored stops7 and a striker 9, a fixed gong above the table adapted to be engaged by the striker, a guard under the gong having openings through which the striker may pass, arms 15 extending from the guard and colored to correspond with the stops, pendants 16 depending therefrom, a cushion O, a pin B and a ball adapted to be driven against the cushion to knock down the pin and to be driven against the table to rotate the latter and cause the pendants to engage the corresponding stops and against the striker to cause it to sound the gong.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS R. AUSTIN. WILLIAM N. ORAW. YVitnesses:

JAooB M. LAYTON, JAMES PAUL. 

